Friday, April 10, 2015

A to Z Devotion: I is for Idol

photo courtesy morgueFile.com
"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below." Exodus 20:3-4 (NIV)

I have been reading "Becoming the Woman God Wants You to Be" by Donna Partow. It's a 90-Day self-study that goes over all sorts of topics for women. Day 61 struck me. The author said to purify your house and get rid of anything in it that would be offensive to God. Then she mentioned that some tourist items bought in other countries were actually foreign idols. Immediately, two necklaces that my daughter had bought in Puerto Rico came to mind. One was an owl and the other was like a sun face and had hieroglyphics on it.

What's weird is that when my daughter first showed them to me in P.R., after she bought them, I had a feeling of evil about them. I pushed that out of my mind, at the time, thinking that was superstitious and ridiculous, but after reading this section of the book, I realize the feeling might be real.

I talked to my daughter and we decided together to throw the necklaces out. In doing so, I think we honored God.

What do you think about this? Have you ever thought of offending God with things in your house (music, books, art, jewelry, clothing, etc.)?

6 comments:

  1. You shall have no other gods before me? Isn't your credit card a god before the Lord? Sorry Dawn, just my way of thinking. My best and closest times with God have been when I haven't had any money at all, just pure reliance on the provision of God Himself.
    You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. An idol isn't necessarily evil, just stupid. It certainly can't do anything for you but it can draw you away from God if you start spending time worshiping it instead of God.
    Lots of love and blessings from God wished upon this family by Geoff.

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    1. Geoff, Yes a credit card and/or money could be an idol, if it consumes you. Thank you so much for sharing. Nice to have you visit!

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  2. I have thought of this, Dawn, and probably need to do so again. My daughter has at times prayed over things and asked God for discernment; as a result, she has gotten rid of some music. I think it's important that the decision to get rid of something that might be offensive to God come from the owner of said items and not be imposed.

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    1. Susan, I totally agree! I was in turmoil over the necklaces b/c they were her only souvenirs. I worried she would be upset. I thought about not even telling her and just throwing them away, but I knew that would be wrong. I prayed and then talked to her about them and she decided they should go.

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  3. According to me every thing was created for us, whether its earing or a necklace, if we are happy and glorify God, there is nothing wrong in it. I always Believe and continue to Believe that God LOVES US JUST THE WAY WE ARE, hence no conditions, as women if I like to wear some fashionable jewellery, I don't see that becoming an idol - for me I interpret idol as something that comes in between me and my God

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    1. Normally I would agree with you, but it does say in the Bible about not eating food that has been given to idols and then the story of the golden calf, which Moses destroyed. In the case of these necklaces, its not that they would be our idols, it is that they were made by someone in PR for other gods or for evil, therefore they needed to go.

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